Cat's Claws
by Aesanna
Summary: A new thief is running rampant around Ilyccia, and it seems that the problem is now pushed into Captain Flynn's hands. Being unable to act because of his allegiance to the Imperial Capital, he hands the job off to Yuri. However, once the young swordsman finally does get his hands on the infamous 'Cat' the Thief, he soon realizes that she may have been more than he bargained for.
1. Chapter 1

A/N:** Hi! This is my second story. :D There really aren't any solid pairing for this story yet, but I do ship Yudith hardcore. Constructive criticism welcomed!**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Tales of Vesperia.**

* * *

"'Cat'?"

The guard nodded, then handed the Captain a blurred picture of a cloaked figure. "Many of his victims have taken to naming him 'Cat', supposedly for his subtlety and his ability to walk away unnoticed, only until nearly days later when they find their possesions gone."

Flynn Scifo scratched his chin, staring at the mysterious criminal. "What else do you know about this thief?"

"He is one of the most wanted on the continent, sir."

At this, he raised an eyebrow. "And this has only been brought to my attention now, soldier?"

His subordinate fidgeted, becoming nervous. "I-it's usually not the duty of a Captain to worry of such a lowly criminal-"

"Then who's is it, then? Who's job is it to worry about such a 'lowly criminal' who happens to be one of the most wanted, left unchecked by the Imperial Guards?" He seemed genuinely curious.

The soldier began to sweat. "W-well, there are reports that the theif belongs to the Guilds, sir, so it would go against us to act."

Looking from the photo in his hand and back to the man who had come to him, bearing this information, Flynn came to his conclusion.

"Very well. Return to your post, soldier."

As the lower rank saluted and nearly burst away from his presence, Flynn shoved the picture in his pocket and began to make his way back to his office.

_'I will not interfere with the Guild's business. However, if I and this 'Cat' ever do cross paths, I will not hesitate to act.'_

He sighed. _'I suppose a soldier's work is never done._

* * *

"Maybe we can seduce him?"

Yuri and friends were standing in the rain, behind the blastia in Heliord, plotting a way to get past the guard and into the construction site below.

"Hmm." Yuri put a hand on his waist and inspected Karol, Estelle, and Judith, mentally deciding which one of them should go.

"Wait, Yuri," Judith said, interrupting his train of thought.

"Yeah?"

"Why don't you go?"

At this, he gave her a blank look. "What?"

She gave an innocent smile. "If we gave you a proper outfit, I'm sure you would do just fine."

Karol and Estelle looked mildly horrified, imagining a female Yuri seducing a guard. Or anyone, in that matter. Albeit, Estelle was blushing profusely.

Looking at the rest of the party, Judith shrugged. "You set up me, Estelle, and Karol as candidates, but not yourself. It's weird."

"What's weird is the way your mind works," he grumbled.

"I-I think it'll be a good experience for you, Yuri!" Estelle piped up suddenly, covering her red face with her hands. She'll never get that image out of her head.

"What?"

"Y-yeah!" Karol agreed, guiltily not wanting to do the job himself.

Yuri looked incredulously at the boy. "Karol, you too?"

They all looked expectantly at the man. He felt betrayed.

"Ugh, Judy, wouldn't you be best for this kind of thing?"

"Maybe," she replied, forcefully grabbing his arm and pulling him back to the inn. "But everything's an experience. As I say, those who can, should!"

"That doesn't apply to this!" He fruitlessly thrashed against the iron grip of the Krityan, as sooner than he would like, he was dragged into the inn, Karol and Estellise in tow.

* * *

Flynn groaned and put his face in his hands.

The piles of paper around him were almost too much to bear. Recruitment papers, assignments, even the occasional retirement papers that need to be verified for the older veterans. But most of all, filed reports of stolen property from a certain feline-named thief.

The reports had been becoming greater in number and occurrences ever since he received the photo from that soldier the other weeks. Before that, there had only been one of two in his entire stack of work papers, and none of them held the name the mysterious mastermind who always seemed to be out of his reach.

And just what was he after? So far, he's stolen jewelry, plates and silverware made of precious metals, and blastia cores. Was this another Ragou and Barbaros? Did he steal simply for wealth? What were his intentions?

A sudden knock from the door interrupted his train of thought.

"Come in."

Sodia walked into the room, holding at least ten pounds worth of paper. "Sir, more paperwork has arrived from the Commandant."

He waved her over, and she placed it on top of the already overflowing piles of paper on his desk.

After scanning through most of the headlines by flipping over the edges with his thumb, he groaned and headdesked, a truly unruly sight for Sodia. She took in his messy hair and tired body and assumed he'd been up much longer than he should have been.

"What is it, sir?"

Flynn just shook his head from his perch on the desk. "It's just that there's so many reports on this thief. The Commandant can truly be a slave driver at times."

Sodia looked at the new shipment of papers, then back to him. "Maybe the Commandant is trying to tell you something, Captain."

"Why? Is it too much trouble to just tell me in person?"

Sodia sighed. "Perhaps he was afraid to be overheard."

Flynn looked up and gave a stern look. "Where are you going with this, Sodia?"

"Maybe he wants you to go after the thief."

The Captain stared at her, then face palmed. "I can't do that, Sodia. This thief is business with the Guilds. I cannot go against them."

Sodia was silent for a second, then suddenly an idea came to her, but she sneered in disgust.

"Maybe..."

"..Sodia?"

She massaged her temple with her fingers. "Maybe... you should ask that _friend_ of yours."

"Friend...?" Flynn's eyes suddenly widened, then a smile came to his face. "Yuri! Sodia, you're a genius!" A serious look took over his features, and he began to scribble the back of the thief's photo with a quill. "Sodia, send out a messenger, and look for Yuri. Make haste, this is very important!" Shoving the picture into a spare envelope and quickly applying a seal with the Imperial symbol on it, he pushed it into his subordinate's hands and quickly guided her to the door. "Go, now!" The girl quickly sped off down the halls, and soon disappeared at the turn. Relief washed over him, but he also felt guilty for pushing his problem into his best friend's hands.

"Well, the best way to find this thief is to have Yuri look for him. After all, who knows a criminal better than a criminal himself?" He gave a sad chuckle, then moved to return to his work.


	2. Chapter 2

**Second chapter up! :3**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Tales of Vesperia, only my OC.**

* * *

"So, Flynn."

"Yuri."

"..."

"..."

"What exactly did you call me in for?"

Flynn lifted an eyebrow. "Didn't you read the letter?"

Yuri lifted the picture from his pocket in between two fingers and nodded. "Yeah, I got the memo. You want me to find 'Cat', but why did you ask me to come and meet you?"

"Because," Flynn tapped his fingers on his empty desk, as he had moved all of his work onto the ground next to the wall. "I have to explain something to you."

He didn't continue, and Yuri soon grew exasperated. "What, Flynn?"

The Imperial Captain sighed. "This thief is property of the guilds, so I am unable to act. I apologize for making this your responsibility."

The young swordsman shrugged. "Not a big deal. I'll look for him on the way."

Flynn shook his head and looked directly at Yuri. "I'm afraid Cat may have to become a priority."

"Sorry Flynn, but I'm busy too. I can try."

"You don't understand. Cat's been stealing precious metals and blastia cores. My hypothesis is that he's trying to create a weapon of some sort."

"Like Barbaros?" Yuri groaned when the Captain nodded, rubbing his temple.

"Alright, I'll do it."

Flynn sighed his evident relief. "Thank you, Yuri. Do not tell them that this is for the Empire."

The other man moved to stand up. "Well, it isn't anymore, isn't it?"

The blonde Captain was left to his thoughts as the door closed behind his friend.

* * *

"But we're supposed to be looking for that giant talking monster!" Karol exclaimed.

"He called me an 'insipid poison'..." Estelle muttered.

Yuri sighed. "I know, but this is really important. Think about it, which sounds more important? 'Saving the people from an insane man creating a weapon that might destroy everyone', or 'finding out about myself and what something said to me'?"

Yuri felt bad about stretching the truth, but to be honest, he didn't exactly know the entire truth either.

"I'm sorry, Estelle, but I think we should go after the thief," Rita said. Her hands curled into fists as her rage flared up again. "Stealing blastia cores - why does it never end?!"

Judith nodded at the mage's angry sentiment. "Finding out what it said can wait, Estelle. I think we should focus on the problem at hand."

Looking from Rita, to Judith, and then finally to Yuri, she hung her head in defeat. "I guess..."

"A guild's job always comes first, Yuri..." Karol said in a final attempt.

"Sorry boss, but looks like's we'll have to make an exception this time." He patted the child's head and stood up.

"So, where so we start?" Judith asked.

"No idea."

* * *

"Damn, it's so small..." The figure shoved the miniscule blastia core into the innermost pocket inside its cloak, grabbing the pack on the ground beside its feet and swinging it over the shoulder. The mysterious figure jumped from the thatched roof with expertise, its softfooted steps not making a sound in the night sky as it ran from the grassy field and into the woods.

The small pouch attached to its belt jingled softly as its contents shook with every movement. The cloaked body quickly and stealthily made its way through the forest and into another grassy plain, easily spotting a town in the distance.

Halure.

The blastia thief sprinted to the giant tree, gripping the bag tightly as it made it to the town within minutes. There, it walked to the inn with haste, though quickly realizing that there was a line.

"You're lucky. You got the last two rooms!" The innkeeper took their money and smiled kindly, letting them pass.

"Ahh, finally, now these old bones can relax." An older looking man with raven hair stretched, accidentally hitting a young brunette.

"Hey, old man, watching where you're throwing those things!" She shouted, making him pout.

"Aww, Rita, don't have to be so mean~" the man said.

'Rita' growled and shoved him - into a blue haired Krityan.

"Oof!"

"Oh, sorry Judith," Rita said nonchalantly.

Judith's eye twitched the slightest bit, but she smiled. "Quite alright."

"Oh, Judy baby~ You're too sweet-" He was interruptes at the sound of the Krityan shutting the door in his face after ushering the other girls in.

The figure turned back to the innkeeper. "I take it there are no more available rooms, then?" It asked in a very soft and feminine voice, almost seeming fragile as it gripped its cloak tighter around its figure, seeming to be cold. It left its luggage on the ground beside it. The hood of its cloak shrouded its face from view, so it was impossible to identify the owner of the voice.

The innkeeper shook his head apologetically. "I'm sorry, but that was the last room."

It sighed and nodded, though the action was almost missed under the fabric over its head, and picked up its bags to leave.

"Wait, you can have our room," a voice called out to it.

The figure turned to see the owner of the voice - a dark haired man, with a sword hanging from his left hand. Its eyes focused on his wrist for a split second, noticing the blastia, then focused on his face. The smirk was out of kindness, the stranger could tell. Others may have thought differently.

The figure pulled out a pouch of Gald from its cloak, walking up the stairs and handing it to him. It whispered a thank you before quickly going into the room and closing the door.

Yuri looked confused at how hastily she left. Or, at least, he thought it was a girl. It was impossible to tell at how quietly she spoke.

He shrugged and knocked on the other door. "We're coming in."

"Why?!" Rita growled from the other side, almost like an animal. Raven shivered.

"We gave our other room to another person, so we're sharing." Without waiting, he went inside, Karol in tow, but Rita easily punched Raven and stopped him from entering.

"Perverted old man stays outside." Her eyes flashed dangerously, and he gulped.

"O-old man stays outside. Got it."

He sighed as the door shut in his face. "Oh well, at least I've got Repede-" He looked around, realizing said dog was not there.

"Woof!" He heard inside the room.

He sighed and laid on the floor.

* * *

The girl sat on one of the lower branches of Halure's tree, looking out at the scenery. The breeze brushed against any skin she hadn't covered up, which meant a lot. Her boots covered up to her knees, but between that and her shorts, it felt very cold. But she never said she didn't like the cold.

Her coat, for which she replaced from her cloak, easily kept her back warm. But her midsection constantly felt the chilly air, as did her shoulders. Her tank top (if you could even call it that) wrapped around her chest, but her stomach was left bare. Her fiery red hair flew behind her with the wind, in deep contrast with the cool night sky.

She propped her arm on one knee and let her other leg hang from the branch as she leaned against the trunk for support. Sighing, she closed her eyes and allowed to night to take her away and far from her life, just for a while.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry for the delayed update, but first I was like, no, this is bad. Then I changed it. Then I was like, no, this is worse than before. And then I redid it. And then I realized that this is coming to kinda be like a Mary Sue story.**

**So I plan to take the personality hammer and slam it into Amy's face. Repeatedly.**

**Obviously, I'll explain her entire history and all that good stuff later on. And also, intialics wasn't working for me today, so everything with *...*s are all italicized. Use your imagination. :3**

**And without further ado, Chapter 3!**

* * *

...

"Hey!"

The call was loud, piercing her concentration. She easily grew irritated and decided to ignore the familiar voice.

"That's dangerous, you know."

Opening one eyelid, she looked down to see the dark haired man from earlier.

She waved. She knew he wouldn't recognize her anyway.

She hoped he would go away and leave her in peace, but clearly, life didn't like her at the moment. The man strolled over to where she was and sat at the base of the tree, mimicking her position.

"I haven't seen you around before. You a traveler?"

Oh no. Conversation.

Dammit.

She shrugged and closed her eyes again, hoping that he would get the message.

He was silent after that, but stood where he was, clearly not intending to move for a long time. She was uncomfortable enough that this man was already as close as he is, but she was not looking foward to spending perhaps what could be the entire night if he willed it.

'Perhaps I could just take the blastia core now and be done with it after he falls asleep?' Her mouth tightened. 'No, that isn't an option. It would be too obvious to know who took it.'

She sighed silently, and fell into a light sleep.

"Hey, there's Yuri!"

"Yuri!"

Said man woke up quickly to the sound of his friends. "Wha-?"

"What are you doing here?" Karol asked. "You weren't in the room when we woke up, and the innkeeper said that he didn't see you leave."

Rita scoffed. "What's the point of renting a room if you're just going to sleep *outside*?"

"We were really worried there for a minute. You really should let someone know before you take a walk out in the middle of the night." Judith gave an innocent smile, and Yuri's eye twitched at her sentiment.

He shot her a look. *'You're in no position to be saying that kind of thing, Judy.*

She simply smiled wider and said nothing.

"What are you doing out here anyway?" Raven asked, stretching his arms.

Estelle checked Yuri quickly, looking at his body for any potential injuries. It took both him and Rita to ensure her that he was fine and to back off.

"Just wanted some fresh air." He spared a glance up at the tree for any signs of the mysterious girl from the previous night. But nothing looked different at all. It's as if she was just her imagination.

He looked back at his party and grinned. "Well, in the meantime, to Desier?"

They smiled. "To Desier!"

* * *

*'That was careless me.* The red haired cloak speed walked through the silent streets of Aspio, the blue lamps dimly illuminating her path as she made her way to the library.

She sneered at herself. *'To think that I could be free for but a mere moment... what wishful thinking.'*

Looking around to make sure that no one was looking, she slipped through the back door and into the large storage room. The only light provided was the dim moonlight that spilled from the tiniest crack in the stone cieling.

"You..." a deep voice resonates quietly through the empty space. "I did not expect to see you so soon."

The redhead through back her hood, revealing her features, her red eyes flashing in the darkness. "Yeah, well, my next shipment's gonna be late, so I thought I might as well drop off what I had before I take off again."

"Hm." She threw her half-filled bag into the black blindly, and heard it being easily caught by the man in question.

In the darkness, she could hear the jingling of the stone-like cores being inspected. "This will be sufficient for now. I expect the next one to be here in two months time."

She shook her head. "I may need at least four months this time. This one's a big one."

"..." He was silent, and she took it as her sign to go on.

"It's a Hermes blastia, but there've been reports all over the continent about a 'dragon rider' who's been out destroying them. These blastia usually house the largest cores in my availability, but I can't guarantee that I can retrieve it in such a short amount of time with this person destroying them all."

"...I see. And where is this particular Hermes blastia located?"

"I checked into the Fortune's Market guild logs, and it's to be transported onto one of their ships to operate it better within six to eight weeks."

The man was silent for a moment. "Very well. I will give you four months, and extended time if you must. But I intend to see these cores within that time, and then some."

She nodded. "Very well, Duke."

Duke stepped out into the dim light, allowing her to catch his face. His white hair reflected the brightness into the dark, making it seem as radiant as the moon itself. His red eyes were passive but unexpressive as they met hers.

He turned away, fading from sight.

"I will be seeing you soon, Amy Ford."

Amy's fists curled at her sides in silence, the rings on her fingers constricting in welcomed pain as she heard her brother's footsteps grow quiet in the distance..

* * *

She sighed tiredly before putting on a wide smile on her face.

*Jingle.*

"Hello, and how may I help you?"

Amy smiled shyly before opening her bag and taking out a golden necklace with an emerald pendant, decored with a gilded border.

"H-hello, um... can I sell this necklace please?" She spoke very quietly as she placed the jewelry piece onto the wooden counter.

The merchant smiled as she inspected it. "Sure! This seems like a very expensive and valuable piece... are you sure you want to sell it?"

Amy gave a reserved nod of her head. "This was the gift of an old lover of mine before he left me for someone else... so I wanted to buy something that my mother wants for her birthday."

The woman on the other side of the counter gave a sympathetic look. "Of course. I can give you 150, 000 Gald for it."

Amy gasped, covering her mouth. "That much?!"

She nodded. "It looks like a family heirloom from long ago, so it's very valuable. Do you want to trade it in?"

After a pause and a hesitant nod, the merchant smiled and handed her a large thick leather bag, filled with heavy coins.

"Here you go. Happy birthday to your mother as well."

The redhead lifted the bag with slight difficulty, holding it firmly in her arms. "T-thank you!"

She took a deep breath when she left the store. *'Pity points. Works every time.*

Should she feel bad? She didn't know. Her current occupation didn't pay her in money, but rather her safety from the Entelexeia. She had accidentally struck out at one, by the name of Khroma, but was saved by her step-brother Duke. However, she now has to serve Khroma to make up for her mistake, and she knew her brother was angry at her because she had dragged him into this by having him defend her. She could never make it up to either of them, she knew that for sure.

How she missed her step-mother badly. She always knew what to do.

She shook off any thoughts of her mother. Amy left her a long time ago. She was probably mad at her too, for running off like she did.

Everyone was mad at her. And she was all alone to deal with her mistakes, fated to do another's bidding for her entire lifetime.

How she hated life.


End file.
